Families Part I: Home
by Jayne Foyer
Summary: Lao and Poppy Bei-Fong have just been notified that their daughter is at the Fire Nation capital - she was part of the group who had just overthrown evil Fire Lord Ozai. They come to take her home... but then again, Toph wonders, where IS home?


**Home**

Toph took a deep breath. Katara put a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Are you ready?" she asked, something like worry in her voice. With a tiny gulp, the blind girl nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm ready."

Katara took a deep breath, then beckoned to one of the guards. Toph felt the door open, and two people anxiously scurrying in. At her side, Katara's familiar, comforting weight disappeared.

The smaller of the two figures who had just entered the room took a few hesitant steps forward.

"…Mom?"

A sob escaped the woman's lips and she ran forward and embraced her daughter, knocking the breath out of Toph. "Oh, Toph! I thought – I thought – " She broke off into sobs.

"Mom – _can't – breathe –_"

Poppy Bei-Fong eased up her grip instantly. "Oh, of course," she said, and an odd, strained tone entered her voice. She took Toph's hand, and Toph felt her father stride forward. He put a hand on her shoulder – not unlike the gesture Katara had just given her – and then put his arms around her and hugged her.

"It's been so long," he whispered in her ear. "We were so afraid."

"And then we heard the stories!" squealed Toph's mother. "Oh, darling! The stories! They said you defeated the Fire Lord, and saved the world! We couldn't believe it! Our darling! _Our little Toph!_"

"And then we get a letter from the Fire Nation imperial palace," said her father, wiping away a tear from his wife's cheek. "A letter that says our daughter is safe and at the Fire Nation capital, an ambassador for the Earth Kingdom! And only twelve years old!"

Toph said nothing, just let her parents ramble. When they walked in, she couldn't believe it…to see them, after almost a year.

But the guarded way they were speaking to her. Their hearts beats were quick and irregular. They were excited to see her, yes – but they were also nervous. Afraid.

She felt moisture gathering in her eyes as she realized why this was. She had kept her life a secret from her parents, and then when she needed them most, she hadn't had them.

She was a stranger to them now.

Her parents misinterpreted her tears, and showered her with more hugs and kisses. She put her arms around them in return, and let them be happy for finally getting their daughter that they didn't know back to them.

After several more minutes, Lao and Poppy Bei-Fong finally regained their composure. Lao cleared his throat, then took his daughter's hand. "Alright, well. We best be on our way. Come along Toph."

He took his wife's arm and began to walk away, out of the palace. But Toph didn't move. Her parents paused and looked around.

"Come on, darling," coaxed Toph's mother. "Let's go home."

There was something about that sentence that convinced her. _Let's go home._ She took a few careful steps forward. _Home_. She let them lead her out of the large room. _I'm going home…_

Katara, Sokka, Aang and Zuko were waiting to see her off. When she entered the courtyard, they all straightened up and looked over to her.

Poppy nudged her husband. He followed her gaze to the group assembled to say goodbye to Toph, then he did a double take. Zuko strode up to them.

"Lao Bei-Fong," said Zuko, bowing. "It is an honor to meet you."

Stunned, Toph's father stared at him for a moment, then hurriedly returned the bow. "Fire Lord Zuko – the honor is all mine, all mine."

Zuko smiled. He felt like winking at Toph, but then he remembered that she wouldn't be able to see it.

"May we have a moment to say goodbye?" asked Zuko, motioning to Toph.

"Oh, yes, yes of course," spluttered Lao. "Say goodbye, Toph. We'll be right here when you're finished."

It sounded bizarre, to Zuko, to hear these strangers acting as if they were the boss of Toph. How was that even possible? _No one _was the boss of Toph.

Zuko nodded to the others, and they crowded around their friend. It was silent for a second, then Katara broke down and threw her arms around Toph. "I can't believe you're actually leaving!" she sniffled. "I can't imagine life without you here."

"Me neither," admitted Zuko. "I don't even mind that I can't feel my arm anymore."

In response to that, Toph punched him on the shoulder. They laughed lowly.

"I'm gonna miss you, kid," said Sokka fairly. "The family won't be complete when you're gone."

Toph smiled gratefully his way. "Promise to write every day!" said Aang. "And visit whenever you can!" Aang hugged her.

"You're such a dork, Twinkletoes," she said, her face uncharacteristically pink.

They all put their arms around her in a big group hug.

"I'll miss you too," she said. "And if you want to see me more than a few times a year, it's _you guys _who'll have to come out to see _me!_"

"I don't know," said Zuko slyly, smiling. "With all our Fire Lord and Avatar responsibilities, we might be a little busy."

"Then it's on your shoulders if we never see each other again!"

She meant this lightly, to tease them, but as soon as she said it, they went silent.

"Is that really what's going to happen?" asked Aang dully. "Are we going to be separated just because the world is at peace?"

"Hardly seems fair," commented Sokka. "Shouldn't we have _more _time now that we're not fugitives trying to overthrow an evil tyrant?"

Katara wiped her eyes. "At least you finally get to go back to your family."

"Yeah!" said Aang, his eyes brightening. "Finally!"

Toph's smile wavered.

"Good luck," said Zuko, with a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah," said Sokka. "And, although I know it will be hard without me there, but try to have fun."

Another laugh.

Aang kissed her on the cheek. "We love you, Toph. I'm happy you get to be happy now."

His sentiment was echoed three times around the group. Then, she hugged each of them in turn, muttered, "Bye guys," and turned around to join her parents again.

"Let's go home," repeated her mother, taking her hand.

Toph let her parents guide her to the carriage that was going to take her to the boat that was going to take her home. She felt Katara turn to Aang and bury her face in his shoulder.

_Home._

She suddenly knew what she had to do. Instead of stepping into the carriage, she reached out and hugged her mother, and then her father, and then tore her hand out of her mother's grip and ran back to her friends.

Everyone was absolutely bewildered. "What is it?" asked Sokka.

"Did you forget something?" asked Katara.

"Hey, why are you crying?" asked Zuko.

"Toph!" came her father's scandalized voice. "I thought your goodbyes were over! Let's go _home!_"

Slowly, Toph thought of each one of her friends in turn. Aang – Twinkletoes – the one who had gotten her out of the place she hated, the house she couldn't stand. Sokka – the first of the group to really be her _friend_… Katara, who had helped heal the empty chasm that was left over when she ran away. And Zuko, the _other _outsider of the group, who had just always been there…

And, just as slowly, she turned around to face her father.

"Dad," she said, her voice strong and clear…

"I _am _home."

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Part I in my four part Families series. I'll add the link to the second part when I have it posted.

This is set not long after Sozin's Comet. I didn't include Suki or Mai or even the Duke in Toph's goodbye group because I felt they were kind of just hanger-ons to the group. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph and Zuko are the only true members of the Gaang!

Come on, I seriously need some reviews here, people. Constructive criticism is like cookies. There's no such thing as _too much!_


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